


Fighting Our Way: Who We Are

by DocMcRegals



Series: Fighting Our Way [2]
Category: Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Car Accidents, Drama, Family, Gen, Medical Procedures, Medical Trauma, Minor Canonical Character(s), Minor Character Death, Pregnancy, Reconciliation, Shooting, Suicide
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-27
Updated: 2018-08-27
Packaged: 2019-07-03 09:56:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15816564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DocMcRegals/pseuds/DocMcRegals
Summary: Part two of the Fighting Our Way series; picks up immediately after the events of Regret. MerDer but Slow burn Addek; everything about this story is a slow burn. Angst, lots and lots of angst.





	Fighting Our Way: Who We Are

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone, and welcome to the second installment of the Fighting Our Way. This story is mainly a Grey's Anatomy fic, though we will see guest appearances from Private Practice Characters. Our second installment picks up almost immediately after the events of 'Regret' and will lead into the Season Six finale. In this fic, we will see guest appearances from some of our favorite characters from Private Practice. At the start of 'Regret,' Carson and Ryan are visiting Derek during Memorial Day Weekend (which explains why they aren't in school). It is also important to point out that most of the events in Private Practice are AU. In the Private Practice verse, Addison is not romantically involved with Pete or Sam; she doesn't date Wyatt Lockhart or Noah Barnes. Addison and Kevin did not date during the canon of Private Practice. Addison and Mark still sleep together during the Season 3 and Season 6 crossover. Naomi did not leave OWG to work for Pacific Wellcare, Maya did not get pregnant, and Dell does not die. This installment has no archive warnings.  
> Thank you for reading and please enjoy!  
> Xx

“ _The human life is made up of choices. Yes or no? In or out? Up or down? And then there are the choices that matter: to love or hate, to be a hero or to be a coward, to fight or to give in, to live or die…live or die? That’s the most important choice, and it’s not always in our hands. Yes or no? In or out? Up or down? Live or die? Hero or coward? Fight or give in? I’ll say it again, to make sure you hear me: the human life is made up of choices. Live or die? That’s the important choice…and it’s not always in our hands_ ”- **Derek Shepherd**

Los Angeles:

Running a practice was harder than she thought it was, especially when you’re trying to save said practice from bankruptcy. She sat at her desk going over bills, bank statements, mortgage loans, refinance loans; Addison shook her head. The bright side to working as hard as she did, were the Lo-mien noodles her boyfriend Kevin brought her earlier that day. However, at this point, the noodles had grown cold and her butt hurt from sitting for so long. She needed to get up and stretch. So she stood, rolling her shoulders back and forth, popping her joints. She suddenly realized just how old she was and murmured about how she was long overdue for a day at the spa. She looked up when she noticed her best friend of over 20 years standing in the doorway.

“Rough day?” Naomi Bennett said as she tilted her head at her friend.

“Like you wouldn’t _believe_ ,” Addison groaned as she made her way over to the purple couch that sat in her office.

“You look stressed,” Naomi said as she sat beside her; she smiled as Addison turned around and headed towards her desk to pull out a bag of chocolates. Chocolates always seemed to do the trick whenever one of them was stressed out.

“Do you _really_ want me to tell you what’s got me so stressed out?” Addison asked; she took a seat on the couch and bit her lip. She was nervous and she should be; Naomi wasn’t really speaking to her much unless it was work related. Addison understood; after all, she practically stole the practice from her. No, that’s not true; what she did was save them from going into bankruptcy. While Naomi rationally understood, she couldn’t help that lick of betrayal she felt towards Addison. She had some nerve, coming in as a hotshot doctor from Seattle and somehow proving to her people that she could be a better leader. However, Naomi could begrudgingly admit that the practice was in far better shape now that Addison had taken over. She sighed heavily; she knew that while Addison was efficient at running a business, there were still stressors about it that required being able to vent.

“Addie, I know that you didn’t intentionally take over the practice; it’s okay, you can talk to me about whatever’s going on,” Naomi said as Addison sighed.

“Well, I’m looking over finances for the practice…” Addison said apprehensively as Naomi nodded. But before she could respond, Addison’s cell phone rang. She frowned when she saw Meredith Grey’s name flash across the screen.

“What’s wrong?” Naomi looked over at her friend.

“Nothing, uh… _Meredith Grey_ is calling,” Naomi’s eyes widened.

“ _Meredith’s calling_?” Addison nodded.

“Do you think it’s serious?”

“I don’t know, it must be; Meredith _never_ calls me, **ever** ,” Addison said before apprehensively picking up the phone.

“Hello?”

“ _Mom_?”

“Carson?” Addison paused for a second, listening to the pain in her daughter’s voice.

“ _Mom, I wanna come home, please_!” Carson’s voice was strained as if she were crying.

“Carson, sweetie slow down; what’s going on?” Addison’s spine straightened as she stood, clutching the phone to her ear. Something wasn’t right; Naomi tried to ask questions, though she was cut off when Addison held up a hand.

“ _I wanna come home_!” Carson sobbed.

“Carson, where are you?”

“ _I’m on the freeway_ ,”

“You’re driving? Who’s with you? And why are you calling from Meredith’s phone?”

“ _Dad took my phone_ ,” Addison’s brow furrowed.

“Why would your father take your phone, Carson?”

“ _Because Dad’s an idiot, that’s why_ ,” Addison sighed heavily and ran a hand through her hair.

It was obvious that Carson and Derek were in constant conflict; Carson understands a lot more about her parents’ marriage than either of them would like. Despite that, it became clear to Addison that there had to be some sort of altercation between them if Derek confiscated Carson’s phone. But that wasn’t important at the moment; what was important was that Carson was on the road, _alone_.

“Carson’s who’s car are you driving?”

“ _Meredith’s…_ ” Carson mumbled.

“ **Meredith** , you’re driving **Meredith’s car**? **How did you even get her car**?”

“I stole it, but mom that’s _so_ not the point!” Carson groaned; in the background, Addison could hear car horns and the distinct sound of rain. None of this made sense, and it did nothing for the slow brewing headache that had started to form at the base of her skull. She closed her eyes and tried to process; her 15-year-old daughter had stolen _not only her father’s girlfriend’s cell phone_ but car as well. _And_ she was driving, _without a licensed driver in the car_ in Seattle, the rainiest city in the country.

“You **stole** Meredith Grey’s car?!”

“ _Mom,_ **listen to me**!”

“No! _You_ **stole** _Meredith’s car_!? Carson Danielle Shepherd, _you_ **cannot** _go around stealing people’s cars_! Didn’t you learn from stealing from…nevermind. You _stole_ Meredith’s car, and I’m gonna go out on a limb and say you stole her cell phone too,”

“ _Mom_ …” Carson whined.

“No! Carson, it’s raining in Seattle and you only have a learner’s permit. Not only that but you lied _and_ stole. I’m also gonna assume that something happened with your father if he took your phone,”

“ _He’s a jerk and I_ **hate** _him_ ; _mom_ , **please** _let me come home_ ,” Addison sighed and shook her head.

“Carson, it doesn’t matter what he said-“

“ _He talked about you_!” Carson shouted.

“What?”

“ **He said things** ; _he said…_ **he said you were a terrible parent because you cheated**!” Addison’s breath caught in her throat. No, there was just no way, absolutely no way Derek would bring up something as sensitive as their affair, especially _not in front of their kids_.

“Your father said _what_? Wait, slow down and tell me how _all of this happened_ ,”

“ _We were at the hospital and he forgot about us, again. So I asked Uncle Mark if I could borrow his car…_ ” Addison shook her head slowly. She knew how much Carson loved Mark, but he and Derek were just starting to get into a good place and the _last thing they needed_ was to be pitted against one another.

“Carson, why would you-“

“ _Because we hadn’t had any real food since lunch and he promised to take us for dinner_ **but what does he do? He forgets us** _! He gets_ **so** _caught up in stupid paperwork that he forgets he’s got two kids he’s supposed to be taking care of and spending time with_ -“

“Carson…” Addison sighed.

“ _No mom! It’s true and you_ **know** _it. So, I asked the_ **one adult in my life** _besides you_ **who’s never let me down** _if I could borrow his car_ ,” Addison shook her head as she continued to listen to her daughter’s story,

“ _Uncle Mark let me use his car, but he made Jackson Avery go with me to get food; we went to the Japanese place over on eighth. So I went and got food and Ryan and I are eating and dad comes in ranting and raving about how we should’ve waited for him. I told him he was taking too long and he_ **grounded me**! _He took my phone and sent me home with Meredith,_ **but not without berating me in front of the entire surgical floor**.”

“What did he say, Carson?”

“ _Mom,_ **please don’t make me repeat it** ,” She could hear the hitch in her daughter’s breath; whatever Derek said to her must’ve been bad.

“Honey, I need to know what he said,” She needed to know what could’ve driven her 15-year-old child to do something so reckless as stealing a car and driving in the rain without a licensed driver.

“ _He said…_ ‘ **I don’t have time for this dammit**! _I have a_ **hospital** _to run_. _People’s_ **lives** _are in danger and I don’t have time for you to be acting like a_ **spoiled brat**! _I don’t know how Addison is raising you in LA but when you’re here you’re_ **not** _gonna tell me I’m a terrible parent, because if we’re gonna talk about terrible parents_ **I’m not the one who screwed my best friend and ruined our marriage** , _your mother did that all by herself’_ “

Addison’s entire world stopped when she heard her ex-husband’s words repeated to her by their 15-year-old daughter. She wanted to believe in him, that he wouldn’t say those things about her, especially in the presence of their children. But when Carson repeated what he’d said, Addison knew. It wasn’t intentional towards Carson, but more about her. She’s also sure that there was something that provoked that type of response from Derek, but none of that mattered now.

 “Carson, where are you?”

“ _Uh, I’m…_ **shit**!” In the background, Addison could hear horns honking and the sound of the rain pouring down onto Meredith’s car.

“Carson, what’s going on?”

“ _I’m trying to get over but this_ **idiot car won’t let me in** ,”

“Okay, stay calm. Just try and pull over, call your father and-“

“ **No** _, mom_! _I’m_ **not** _calling him_ ,” Addison sighed; she didn’t like the noises she was hearing on the other end. Her main concern was making sure her daughter got home safe.

“Fine; pull over and call Mark. Tell him I’ll…hello? Hello? Carson? Carson, can you hear me?”

 “Hello? Carson? Carson, can you hear me?” She heard the phone fall to the ground, followed by an annoyed grunt from Carson.

“ **Mom** _? Hang on, I dropped the phone_!” The response was barely audible but somehow she still heard it. However, what came next was the worst sound she could’ve ever heard in her life. There was a split second of silence, followed by the blaring of a horn, screeching tires and a loud crash.

For a moment, the whole world went black.

When she opened her eyes again, she was on her couch, several of her coworkers surrounding her.

“What happened?” She sat up on her couch, shaking her head, trying to will the fog from her brain.

“You passed out Addison; what’s the last thing you remember?” Pete asked.

She closed her eyes and tried to think; suddenly, it all came rushing back to her, every painful second of it.

“Oh god, I have to go; I need to get to Carson,” She stood quickly, despite her coworkers' protests, though it was Naomi’s hand on her shoulder that stopped her.

“Addison, you’re in no shape to drive, I’ll-“

“ _No,_ Nae! What if it were Maya?”

“Fine, but I’m coming with you,” Addison nodded; with shaky hands, she quickly grabbed her keys and her purse before rushing out of her office towards the elevators.

She had to get to Seattle, _now_.

 

Seattle-Two Hours Earlier:

“Ya fucked up Shep,” Mark Sloan said to his best friend as the two men played golf on the hospital rooftop. Mark heard what happened and immediately sought to comfort his friend. He found him brooding in his office and decided that the best way to take his mind off of things was a nice round of golf. Carson was stubborn like Addison, but Mark was sure that with some time away from one another that both father and daughter would work things out; all would be right with the world again real soon…he hoped.

“Gee, thanks Mark,” Derek deadpanned as his swung his golf club and missed.

“Did ya _really_ have to bring up the fact that I screwed Addison, and in front of Ryan of all people? I thought the three of us agreed that Ryan would never find out about that; Carson knowing was bad enough,” Mark huffed.

“Why did you sleep with my wife?” Derek asked, tossing his golf club onto the ground as Mark shook his head.

“Oh no, you’re not gonna pin your outburst at Carson on me Derek. My sleeping with Addison happened _years_ ago and-“

  
“Woah, last time I checked you slept with her while you were in LA?” Derek challenged, raising an eyebrow.

“The last time I checked, Addison left you after your 12-year-old daughter found your mistress’ panties in your coat pocket. She was also very single when we slept together in LA; she was…having a hard time with things,” Mark said. He dare not mention the fact that Addison let it slip that Bizzy was a lesbian. That was something even he was still reeling from, even though it happened nearly two years ago.

“It doesn’t matter Mark, none of this would be happening if-“

“Look, I get that you’re upset about what happened with Carson, but you calling your kid a spoiled brat and telling her that her mother is reason your marriage blew up even though we both know you were indifferent in New York and paid her absolutely no attention and thought it’d be cool to have me step in as the replacement husband-“

“Is that what she thought you were?” Derek asked; he’d heard rumblings of it but he never paid it no mind.

“What did you think was gonna happen, Derek? You completely forgot that you had a wife and two kids who existed and you sent your best friend, the same best friend whom you knew had a crush on your wife, over to do what you should’ve been doing. You basically gave me access to live your life and, it was a damn good one at that,” Derek glared at Mark and shook his head. What Mark said was right, it was absolutely positively right. Derek sighed harshly; it had been years since Mark and Addison’s affair and the three of them had come to the mutual decision that they were over it. Somehow for Derek, it was always used as a weapon; this time he’d gone too far and hurt the one person he swore he’d never hurt; his daughter.

“You’re right, I just…she hates me Mark; she told me I was a terrible father,” Derek shook his head slowly; how had his life become reduced to this?

“Shep…” Mark began as Derek’s cell phone rang. Mark watched as Derek moved to the other side of the rooftop.

“Hello? Addison? What’s going on? What? oh my god, I’m at the hospital and…no, no, no Addie I’m leaving now. I’m sure she’s there and it’s just a misunderstanding and…Addison! I’m leaving right now,” Mark looked over at his friend in confusion as he spoke to his ex-wife before rushing towards the staircase.

“Derek? What’s going on?”

“Not now Mark,” Derek didn’t bother to look back; something was wrong, something was terribly wrong.

“Shep! Shep, wait up!” Mark had a sinking feeling in his gut as he followed Derek back into the hospital and down the catwalk towards the elevators. He had to jog to keep up with him.

“Derek, Derek, what’s wrong?” Mark asked after finally catching up with him.

“It’s Carson; something’s happened…Addison called and said… Mark, I _have_ to find her,” Derek’s words were jumbled as he spoke, but it was the mention of something happening to Carson that sent a chill down his spine.

“Shep-“ Mark reached out to grab him by the arm, but Derek shoved him off.

“I can’t Mark, not now,” Derek groaned in frustration as he waited for the elevator.

“Screw it, I’m taking the stairs,” Derek mumbled as he dashed down the staircase.

Mark sighed heavily as he watched his best friend exit the surgical floor. He shook his head and tried to dial Addison to figure out what was going on, but got no answer. He looked up when he saw the smiling faces of Callie and Arizona; at least someone was happy today, he thought to himself.

“What’s up Sloan?” Arizona was her usual perky and annoying self as she spoke to him.

“Not now Blondie,” Mark muttered, still trying to get through to Addison.

“What’s up with you?” Callie asked as Mark shook his head.

“Something’s happened to Carson; Addison called Derek and the next thing I knew, he was running out of here like a crazy person,” Mark said.

“I can tell you what happened to Carson, Derek’s words hurt her feelings and she probably called Addison to tell her what happened,” Callie said firmly; she wasn’t exactly a Derek fan, especially after the prom thing. Sure she’d sort of helped them, but she lost all respect for them when she found out that his teenage daughter had been the one to find Meredith’s panties. Since then, their relationship has been…strained at best.

“Come on Callie, Carson was being pretty bratty today; taking Mark’s car…” Arizona reasoned.

“She didn’t take my car Robbins; I let Jackson Avery take her to-“

“Avery’s not your errand boy Mark, and besides, Carson should’ve known better but I guess when your mother’s Addison Forbes Montgomery, you can have anything you want,” Arizona said with a shrug, not bothering to pay attention to the look of fury on Mark’s face. However, before he could give her a piece of his mind, Callie placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

“Don’t; I’ve got this,” Callie murmured before turning her attention towards Arizona.

“Look, you don’t know Addison, so please don’t insinuate things about how she raises her children. Carson’s a good kid, and Derek should’ve had them waiting all evening to go get some food,”

 “I think your friendship with Addison is making you-“

“This has nothing to do with me being friends with Addison; what he said to Carson was…it was low, even for Shepherd,” Callie said, glancing at Mark who looked visibly upset.

“Mark? Mark, what’s wrong?” Callie asked.

“That was Addison, Carson’s been in an accident,” Mark said grimly as shock registered on the two women’s faces.

“No, that’s impossible; Derek sent her home-“ Arizona immediately regretted her words.

“Addison said she stole Meredith’s car and her cell phone…” Mark managed, doing his best to hold back tears.

“But, but how?  Where was Meredith? How did she-“ Callie was confused, trying to wrap her head around what was happening.

“She called her while she was driving; Addie said the last thing she heard before the line went dead was a horn and screeching tires,” Mark muttered as he began to pace back and forth.

“Mark, that could mean anything; it doesn’t mean-“ Callie gently placed her arms on his shoulders.

“I shouldn’t have let her borrow my car; dammit! If something happens to her Torres…” Mark was visibly shaken by the news. Callie took a deep breath and moved to stand in front of him, gently rubbing her hand up and down his spine.

“Mark, look at me. You were just being a good god dad. You had no idea Derek was gonna blow up like that, and you had no idea Carson was gonna steal Meredith’s car and her phone. This isn’t your fault,” Callie reminded him, though Mark didn’t seem to be listening.

“She’s my goddaughter Torres; if something happens to her…first I ruin Derek’s marriage by sleeping with his wife and now his kid might be…” Mark shook himself from Callie’s grasp and headed towards the elevators.

“Mark, Mark wait!” Callie ran down the hall after him, stopping when she noticed that he was angrily punching the wrong buttons; he was pressing the up button instead of down.

“What the hell is wrong with this thing!?” Mark shouted before he slammed his hand into a wall out of frustration, causing people to stare at him.

“ _What the hell are you people looking at_? Get back to work!” Callie shouted.

“Mark, let’s just take a walk, huh? C’mon?” Callie said.

“Torres…”

“She’s gonna be fine Mark; I’m sure Derek or Addison will call once they figure out what’s going on,” she said, gently leading him away from prying eyes and into a nearby on-call room.

Los Angeles:

“Addison, Addison what’s going on? Addison, where are you going? Addison, why are you packing your clothes?” Amelia Shepherd is watching her sister-in-law frantically pack a bag, hurriedly tossing clothes out of her closet.

“Addison, Addison, what’s happening?” Amelia is nervous; she has never seen her sister-in-law like this before.

“Addie, Addie calm down; you’re scaring Amelia,” Naomi was trying to keep her friend calm.

“Naomi, tell me what’s going on. Addison came home and-“ Naomi immediately walked over to the younger Shepherd sister and gently placed her arms on her shoulders.

“Amelia, breathe; something’s happened to Carson and Addison’s going to Seattle to make sure she’s okay,”

“What!? What happened? Is she-“

“Calm down Amelia,”

“You can’t expect me to calm down  when you’ve just told me something happened to my niece!” Naomi closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“Carson and Derek had a little spat and she was upset so she ran off. She called Addison but something happened so she’s flying out there to make sure she’s okay,”

“I’m-“

“No, Amelia; I need to do this alone,” Addison was finally calm enough to talk.

“She’s my niece Addison and-“

“Amelia, please; I need to make sure she’s okay and I can’t do that if I have to babysit you,” her words were harsh, causing Amelia to gasp and Addison to close her eyes and sigh heavily.

“I didn’t mean that; I just…I’m frazzled enough and I’d rather not have to deal with trying to keep you calm because I’m going to Seattle, where your brother is, the same brother whom you haven’t seen in years, the same brother who also has no idea that you’re out of rehab or that you’ve finished med school and that you’re working for me. So please, Amelia; stay here. I promise to give you updates on everything that’s going on,” Addison paused, taking a long, deep breath.

“Yeah, okay…but Addie-“ she didn’t have to respond, she simply pulled the girl into an almost soul-crushing hug.

“I’m gonna bring her back safe, I promise,” Addison pulled back, both women misty-eyed as Addison ran a hand along her cheek.

“Addie, the pilot said to be at the airport in-“ Naomi began though she was interrupted by another voice.

 “Addison? You home?” Kevin Nelson’s voice floated through the lower part of Addison’s home, causing Addison to look at Naomi, her eyes full of desperation.

“Nae-“

“Don’t worry, I’ll handle Kevin,” Naomi said as Addison sighed with relief.

“ _Thank you_ ,” Naomi gave her a small smile before heading downstairs.

“It’s gonna be fine Addie; finish packing,”

Being a friend to Addison Forbes Montgomery during a time of crisis was a hard job sometimes. But Naomi understood; this was Addison’s child and she wasn’t sure what had happened to her, so that meant that rational thinking went out the front door. Naomi couldn’t say she blamed Addison for that one bit.

“Naomi, hey, is Addison home?” Kevin was a nice guy, but couldn’t fit in with Addison’s hectic lifestyle.

“She’s um…something’s happened to Carson and so Addie has to fly out to Seattle to see about her,” Naomi said quietly as Kevin became alarmed.

“Something happened to Carson? Is she alright?” Kevin was doing his best to head upstairs to see Addison but Naomi stopped him.

“Kevin, Addison’s _very upset right now_ ; she needs to finish packing so that she can catch her flight,” Naomi explained.

“She’s already booked a flight?”

“She’s taking her family’s jet,” Naomi said as Kevin ran a hand over his face.

“Does she know exactly what happened?” Kevin asked; Addison and Kevin had been dating for just over a year and Kevin had grown to seriously care about Addison and her kids during that time.

“She doesn’t; Carson got into a fight with Derek and called Addie while she was driving…it was raining in Seattle,” Naomi said, not finishing the rest of her sentence, shuddering to think of what was going on with her pseudo niece.

“Jesus Christ; does Derek-“

“Derek didn’t know; he’d put her on punishment and sent her home. She stole Meredith’s car and her cell phone, snuck out and -“

“I’m going with her,” Kevin said as he made his way upstairs to his and Addison’s bedroom.

“The more the merrier,” Naomi muttered before retreating upstairs.

Seattle

**Derek** _?_

_Where’s Carson?_

_She just called me; she’s driving, in the rain._

_She stole Meredith’s car and her cell phone…did you_ **really** _say those things to her?_

**How could you tell her that, Derek** _!?_

_She’s 15-years-old and she’s driving without a licensed driver in the car in the rain, Derek!_ **All because you yelled at her and told her that her mother’s a whore who ruined her marriage by screwing your best friend,** _which is ironic considering the fact that you checked out on our marriage long before I screwed Mark. Not to mention the fact that you_ **screwed Meredith** _and pretended we didn’t exist, and_ **then** _, Carson had to find out you were cheating because you left her_ **fucking panties in your coat pocket** _,_ **and now you’re post-it-married to her** _!_

**How dare you try and make me out to be the bad parent** _; you forgot about your children, Derek. You were so busy being chief that that became more important than your family._

_I think…Derek, I think she may have crashed Meredith’s car._

_Yes, I’m sure; she dropped the phone and then I heard a horn blowing and tires screeching and a crash; and then the line went dead._

_Derek, if she…just find her, because if she…Derek, I will_ **never** _forgive you for this._

_I’m coming to Seattle; it doesn’t matter how just know that I’m on my way._

His conversation with Addison was on constant repeat in his head as he drove like a madman through the streets of Seattle in search of his daughter. He shouldn’t have said those things, shouldn’t have reacted the way he did. Addison was right, him becoming chief definitely led to disaster. First, there was the merger, then there was Gary Clarke and now this. How had he let becoming chief become more important than his children? How had he let history repeat itself? It was his desire to become chief back in New York that led him to spend more time at work than with his family. Derek shook his head, banging his hand on the steering wheel in frustration; he needed to find Carson. His heart stopped when he saw the flashing lights of an ambulance a few yards ahead. He pulled his car to a stop and got out, searching for any signs of Carson or Meredith’s car. When he looked ahead and saw Meredith’s jeep wrapped around a tree along with another car on fire, he lost his lunch. It reminded him of an all too familiar experience, except last time it was his baby sister who had stolen his car and wrapped it around a tree but not before stealing his prescription pad and managing to overdose and die for a whole two minutes.

Every bone in his body shook with fear as he ran towards the scene, glancing around for any sign of Carson. He needed to find her; he needed this situation to have a much happier end than the last one. He may not have believed in God much but, he silently said a prayer that his daughter would be found safe.

As if fate heard him, he looked up at the sound of an all too familiar voice.

“Daddy!” Derek’s heart began to race rapidly in his chest at the sound.

“Daddy!” Squinting his eyes, Derek breathed a sigh of relief when he saw someone running towards him, nearly causing him to topple over.

“Daddy I’m so sorry!” Carson was soaked from the rain and he was sure she was covered in a bit of blood too. But thankfully she was alright; bloodied but alive and well in his arms.

“Carson! Oh, thank god you’re alright,” Derek whispered over and over as he held his daughter in his arms.

“I’m sorry!” Carson’s eyes were wide, and even with the rain, he could see the tears on her cheeks.

 “What the hell were you thinking? You scared your mother and me half to death! Don’t you ever run off like that again, do you understand me? God Carson, you could’ve…” Derek couldn’t finish his sentence for the tears that spilled over onto his cheeks as he held his daughter close.

“I’m sorry daddy, I’m so, so sorry,” Carson mumbled as father and daughter stood in the rain holding one another as they cried.

She was safe.

 

 


End file.
